Children enjoy erecting and collapsing temporary structures of playing cards on a suitable horizontal supporting surface. These structures are unstable and, occasionally, can collapse while a child wants the structure to remain upright.
The present invention is directed toward new and inexpensive arrangements for preventing such collapse. These arrangements employ a plurality of flat thin card-like members and a plurality of inexpensive devices which detachably receive such members and support same in position upon a suitable horizontal supporting surface.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, each device takes the form of a thin plastic element having a flat central region provided with a plurality of spaced apart radially extending fingers that extend from the region and define the outer edge of the element. These fingers are arranged into first and second finger sets, each set containing a like number of fingers.
Each two adjacent fingers are separated by an intermediate radially extending slot extending from the central region to the outer edge.
Each finger has an enlarged outer end so that the width of each slot is reduced at these enlarged ends and is otherwise itself enlarged. The outer ends of the first set of adjacent fingers are disposed at discrete positions along a circular arc. The outer ends of the second set of adjacent fingers are disposed at discrete positions along a straight line.
The first and last fingers in the second group have outer edges which can define parallel lines which are perpendicular to the straight line.
Illustratively, there are four fingers in each set.
In use, a plurality of these devices can be disposed in spaced apart positions with the outer ends of some elements in the second group resting upon a suitable support surface. Structures can be erected by inserting thin card like members in the various slots, connecting them as desired. Other devices can be supported by connected cards and disposed above the support surface.
The thickness of the members is smaller than the enlarged slot widths and is somewhat larger than the reduced thickness of the slot widths so that the members are held firmly in position but can be removed with slight force as desired.